Posts Tagged ‘Congressional Research Service’

I’ve posted this video a number of times to document what Democrats really want: socialism and the government takeover of free enterprise and personal freedom.

But the words of the oil industry executive that led to Maxine Waters’ outburst are now equally interesting.

Listen to what he predicts:

Here is the exchange in transcript form:

Oil Executive: I can guarantee to the American people because of the inaction of the United States Congress ever-increasing prices unless the demand comes down – and the $5 will look like a very low price in the years to come if we are prohibited from finding new reserves, new opportunities to increase supplies.

Maxine Waters: And guess what this liberal will be all about? This liberal will be all about socializing … uh, um, [pause] … will be about [another long pause in which she tries not to document that Democrats are communists] … basically taking over and the government running all of your companies.

The executive explains simple reality: “If you don’t allow us to find and extract new oil resources the price is going to go up and up and up you lunatic idiot.”

And the lunatic idiot issues a threat that Democrat Marxist communist dictator thugs don’t need no stinking reality. They can “socialize” the oil companies by exercise of naked government dictatorship and that will somehow magically make all our problems go away.

Larry Kudlow: In a dramatic move yesterday President Bush removed the executive-branch moratorium on offshore drilling. Today, at a news conference, Bush repeated his new position, and slammed the Democratic Congress for not removing the congressional moratorium on the Outer Continental Shelf and elsewhere. Crude-oil futures for August delivery plunged $9.26, or 6.3 percent, almost immediately as Bush was speaking, bringing the barrel price down to $136.

Liberals try to insinuate that the gas prices going down AS BUSH WAS SPEAKING WHEN THEY HAD BEEN GOING UP EVERY SINGLE DAY PRIOR TO BUSH’S SPEAKING was merely the result of the economy stagnating. But that is a lie: our economy didn’t blow up until September of 2008. By the time Lehman Brothers collapse officially triggered the financial collapse on September 14, oil prices were already at $100 a barrel.

It was the hint provided by George W. Bush that ended the speculatory bubble of oil.

BURLINGTON, VT – A day after rumors that the U.S. would tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) spooked Wall Street speculators and sent oil prices falling, Rep. Peter Welch is pointing to that episode as exhibit A of the effect such a move would have on gas prices and is renewing his call on President Obama to take action

Notice that Democrats are demanding that Obama open the strategic reserves, which amounts to a very temporary increase of oil on the market. Democrats are demanding that Saudi Arabia drill more. They are demanding that oil supplies be increased to bring down prices even as they deny that the US – which is idly sitting on reserves of 1.6 trillion barrels of oil – would have any impact on prices.

Democrats want America to be more reliant and more dependent on Arab oil. They absolutely refuse to allow America to become energy-independent. That’s the bottom freaking line.

Our strategic petroleum reserve was intended to be stockpiled for time of national emergency or war. Obama wants to use it as a political slush fund to benefit his presidential campaign. The fact is, the US government bought that oil at a lower price and will replace that oil at a shockingly higher price. And since we very obviously can’t keep doing that, it won’t have a measurable effect on gas prices because it clearly isn’t a long-term supply increase.

And all of the above is why during the last three years, gas prices have gone from well under $2 a gallon ($1.84 a gallon on January 20, 2009) to nearly $5 a gallon on Obama’s watch. Bush gave us low gas prices; Obama took them away.

[A] study, prepared by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), examined oil production on federal and non-federal land between 2007-2011. Approximately 96 percent of the total increase in domestic oil production occurred on non-federal land, CRS found.

Earlier this month, the Energy Information Administration reported that oil and natural gas production on federal land declined 40 percent over the past decade and 14 percent in 2011 alone.

And so you actually wonder why gas prices have “necessarily skyrocketed” under Obama’s watch???

This is nothing more than a continuation of Maxine Waters’ communist war on the means of production of the American economy.

I’ve written about the so-called “tax breaks” for oil companies. Note that what little “tax breaks” there were came on the back of tax increases – and the tax increases outweighed the tax breaks. The bottom line is that if Obama gives the oil industry a middle finger, the oil industry will give the American people who put this fool into office a middle finger.

a March 2011 report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service suggesting that the president’s proposals could actually result in higher gas prices and a greater reliance on imports.

The proposed repeal “would increase tax collections from the oil and natural gas industries and may have the effect of decreasing exploration, development and production, while increasing prices and increasing the nation’s foreign oil dependence. These same proposals, from an alternate point of view, might be considered to be the elimination of tax preferences that have favored the oil and natural gas industries over other energy sources and made oil and gas products artificially inexpensive, with consumer costs held below the true cost of consumption, when the external costs associated with environmental costs and energy dependence, among other effects, are included,” the CRS said.

“The Administration estimates that the tax changes outlined in the budget proposal would provide $22.8 billion in revenues over the period 2012 to 2016, and over $43.6 billion from 2012 to 2021. These changes, if enacted by Congress, also would reduce the tax advantage enjoyed by independent oil and natural gas companies over the major oil companies. On what would likely be a small scale, the proposals also would make oil and natural gas more expensive for U.S. consumers and likely increase foreign dependence,” according to the report

When Barack Obama said in his speech, “The reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally,” a sole Republican – Rep. Joe Wilson – burst out, “You lie!”

Wilson’s outburst was immediately denounced by the Republican leadership for its crudity and lack of statesmanship, and Wilson immediately apologized. But Democrats just as immediately pounced on Wilson’s outburst as a foil to depict the Republican Party as “partisan” even as they depicted Obama as transcending such partisanship. Democrats were so bent on playing rhetorical judo against the Republicans over Wilson that the news coverage of the “You lie!” statement literally surpassed Obama’s actual speech.

While it was the most attention-getting, Wilson’s shout wasn’t the only demonstration of displeasure made by Republicans during the speech.

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, wore a sign around his neck that said, “What bill?” And when Obama asked Republicans to share their health reform ideas with him, a small group raised up a stack of papers above their heads.

The former protest marks the fact that, when Obama says “his plan” will or won’t do something, it should be pointed out that “his plan” or for that matter the Democrat’s plan in fact does not exist. There’s no bill. There’s no plan. The latter points out that – while Obama and Democrats have repeatedly accused the Republicans of being the “party of no,” they have in fact officially submitted over two dozen of their own bills pertaining to health care in C0ngress. It is blatantly dishonest for liberals to claim that Republicans haven’t attempted to contribute their own bills and ideas. The fact that Democrats have shut Republicans out without debate is hardly the same thing as claiming that Republicans haven’t contributed anything.

I’m sure everyone’s familiar with the rhyme, “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” Someone’s pants are clearly on fire here. The only question is whose: Joe Wilson’s or Barack Obama’s?

Mark Tapscott of the Washington Examiner, along with the Congressional Research Service, know whose pants are on fire:

Well, Mr. President, that idea must have been tucked under a stack of background briefing papers over there in the corner of the table because the Congressional Research Service (CRS) says this about H.R. 3200, the Obamacare bill approved just before the recess by the House Energy and Commerce Committee chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-CA:“Under H.R. 3200, a ‘Health Insurance Exchange’ would begin operation in 2013 and would offer private plans alongside a public option…H.R. 3200 does not contain any restrictions on noncitzens—whether legally or illegally present, or in the United States temporarily or permanently—participating in the Exchange.”

CRS also notes that the bill has no provision for requiring those seeking coverage or services to provided proof of citizenship. So, absent some major amendments to the legislation and a credible, concrete enforcement effort in action, looks like the myth on this issue is the one being spread by Obama, Reid, Pelosi, et. al.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Tuesday, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the “research arm” for the United States Congress, issued a report validating an analysis by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), that illegal aliens would be able to receive benefits under the House health care reform bill, America’s Affordable Health Care Act of 2009 (H.R. 3200).

The report, Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200, states definitively, “H.R. 3200 does not contain any restrictions on noncitizens – whether legally or illegally present, or in the United States temporarily or permanently – participating in the Exchange.” H.R. 3200 establishes a Health Insurance Exchange which would provide individuals and small businesses with access to health care plans, including the “public option” to be managed by the government.

CRS also confirms FAIR’s assessment that the House bill does not include a mechanism to prevent illegal aliens from receiving “affordability credits” that would subsidize the purchase of private health insurance. CRS specifically noted the absence “of a provision in the bill specifying the verification procedure.” Because the language is ambiguous, all CRS could reasonably conclude is that any eligibility determination would be the responsibility of the Health Choices Commissioner.

The CRS analysis comes after weeks of denials by Members of Congress that illegal aliens could receive benefits under the House bill. These denials were echoed by countless media and health care “experts” who dismissed public concerns as myths, or as politically orchestrated attacks.

“Case closed. Illegal aliens will be eligible to participate in the health care program offered by the House bill unless Congress acts to amend the bill,” stated Dan Stein, president of FAIR. “The loopholes and omissions in the House bill are not there by accident,” continued Stein. “These loopholes were intended to extend benefits to illegal aliens while allowing Members of Congress to deny those facts to the American people.”

The House Ways & Means Committee had the opportunity to include language that would have barred illegal aliens from enrolling in the proposed public option or receiving the affordability credits, but chose not to. An amendment offered by Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) would have applied the same eligibility verification procedures for coverage under H.R. 3200 that have been used for years to prove eligibility for Medicaid. That amendment was rejected by a party-line vote.

So, the bill would allow illegal immigrants to buy insurance on the national health insurance exchange, which is direct confirmation that “our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants.” It’s really quite straightforward, all the media obfuscation to the contrary.

And Democrats have blocked every republican effort to prevent illegal immigrants from benefiting from the ObamaCare bill even as they have claimed that illegal immigrants won’t receive any coverage.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — As President Obama addresses the nation on health care reform, a new analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 6.6 million uninsured illegal immigrants could receive benefits under the House health reform bill (H.R. 3200). While the bill states that illegal immigrants are not eligible for the new taxpayer-funded affordability credits, there is nothing in the bill to enforce this provision. Congress defeated efforts to require the use of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program. More than 70 other programs of this kind use SAVE.

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., was criticized for interrupting Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress to accuse the president of lying about his health care reform plan prohibiting coverage for illegal immigrants. Wilson quickly apologized, and the White House accepted the apology.

Wilson apologized again Thursday morning, though he also says a massive loophole could wind up in the health care bill: no requirement to prove citizenship for health care coverage.

Among three House committees to pass bills for health reform, only one expressly bans federal funding for proving health coverage to illegal immigrants.

“The Congressional Research Service has indicated that indeed the bills that are before Congress would include illegal aliens,” Wilson said. “And I think this is wrong.”

Indeed, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service study found that the House health care bill does not restrict illegal immigrants from receiving health care coverage.

House Republican Minority Leader John Boehner amplified the complaint that without proof of citizenship, illegal immigrants could be insured.

“There were two opportunities for House Democrats to make clear that illegal immigrants wouldn’t be covered by putting in requirements to show citizenships,” he said. “Both of those amendments were, in fact, rejected.”

In the Senate, Democrats in the so called “Gang of Six,” a group of bipartisan senators on the Senate Finance Committee which is the last panel yet to release its bill, began moving quickly to close the loophole that Wilson helped bring greater attention to.

Again, since there is no bill, we can’t know whether or not the loopholes that currently would allow illegal immigrants to get access to ObamaCare will be closed or not.

We can know that Democrats repeatedly refused to provide such closure of loopholes even over repeated Republican efforts to seek such closure.

And we also can know whose pants were on fire Wednesday night: not Joe Wilson’s, but Barack Obama’s.

Joe Wilson’s emotional outburst was rude, unstatesmanlike, and politically stupid. But it also had the virtue of being quite true in what amounted to a sea of half truths that amounted to whole lies.